Improved financial management and an increase in tourism revenue has seen the Robben Island Museum move into the black over the past financial year, MPs heard on Tuesday.
”We have, over three years, turned a loss of R8-million [in 2002/03] to a profit of R7,3-million,” museum chief financial officer Nash Masekwameng told Parliament’s arts and culture portfolio committee.
Briefing members on the museum’s latest annual report, he said revenue from tourism had increased from R15,3-million in 2002/03 to R24,4-million in 2004/05.
Over this period, the museum’s government subsidy had increased only ”moderately”, from R23,4-million to R26,9-million, Masekwameng said.
Chief operating officer Denmark Tungwana said the island had benefited from the growth in tourism to South Africa.
A total of 425 092 tourists visited Robben Island from January to September last year, he said.
Responding to questions from members, chief executive officer Paul Langa said the biggest tourism challenge facing the island was attracting more locals.
”Most of the people who visit the island are from Europe,” he said.
Over 250 000 of the ”leisure tourists” who visited the island during the first three quarters of last year were from this region, compared to just over 12 000 from Africa and the Middle East, he said.
Tungwana, responding to comments from members that at R150 per person for a visit, a trip to the island was beyond the reach of most locals and their families, said that ”in terms of our costing, this is very little”.
To suggestions that the museum might consider a two-tier pricing system, with one price for locals and another for foreign tourists, he said the government ”had advised us not to go that route”. It was difficult to manage and police.
On the island’s electricity supply — power is currently provided by a diesel generator — Masekwameng said a feasibility study was to be carried out next year to investigate running an undersea cable from the mainland to the island, a distance of 10km from Blouberg. – Sapa